Question

why was EIC interested in the sub continent

Answer 1

There were a number of reasons why the British were interested in the Indian subcontinent. India had long been a trading partner of mid-eastern empires (Greek and Romans) and the commonly traded commodities included silk, spices, ivory, clothes, etc. However during the religious wars (the crusades) between the Muslims and Christians for the holy city of Jerusalem, followed by the Dark Ages, this trade route was lost. During the Renaissance, lost knowledge was found again and the colonists set out to find the silk-route once more. Driven by a desire to find cheap products in a resourceful country, a number of colonists set out for the subcontinent. Several of these had arrangements and contracts with the local kingdoms, including the British, French and Portuguese; however, it is the British that triumphed in the end and took over the entire country. What started out as a trading arrangement between the East India Company and the rulers became a colonial 

Answer 2

Answer:

There were a number of reasons why the British were interested in the Indian subcontinent. India had long been a trading partner of mid-eastern empires (Greek and Romans)